Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Sauce

In honor of the birthday of a young man who eats lemons like the rest of us eat oranges, I modified a recipe for "Cordon Rose Cream Cheesecake from Ruth Levy Berenbaum's Cake Bible.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the pan and the water bath: a 8 inch pan should fit inside a 10 inch or larger roasting pan. If using a springform pan, use at least two layers of foil to wrap the outside to prevent water seeping in from the water bath.  I used a silicone cake pan and a layer of teflon baking sheet liner on the bottom of the pan, so leaks were not an issue and no foil was required.

2 packages of cream cheese, 8 ounces each
1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 C lemon juice, fresh squeezed and strained

3/4 C heavy whipping cream

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil, or to taste; or zest of the lemons you squeezed for the juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sour cream

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth.  RLB says 3 minutes with a whisk attachment for the mixer; I used the paddle first and then switched to the whisk as the mixture was softening.  

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.  Add the lemon juice in two additions, beating until smooth each time.  Beat in the cream, lemon oil or zest (I used lemon oil as the guest of honor is not fond the the texture of zest), and salt.  When smooth, beat in the sour cream, again, until very smooth.

Set the prepared pan inside the water bath pan, pour in the batter, and add hot water to the outer pan.  

Place carefully in the oven on the middle rack, and bake 45 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave cake in oven, door closed, for another hour.  Remove to a cooling rack, and let cool for 1 hour before wrapping and placing in the fridge.  Let chill thoroughly (overnight) before attempting to unmold the cake.  

Cover the top of the cake with waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Lay a flat plate on top of the pan and invert the cake onto the plate.  Remove the liner, if any, from the bottom of the cake, and spread graham cracker crust evenly over the base.  Place a serving plate over the upside down cake, touching the cracker crust, and invert again so the crust-side is down.  Peel off the waxed paper or plastic wrap protecting the top of the cake, and admire your lovely creation.

1 package graham crackers (no cinnamon or other flavored versions, please)--this should be about 10 crackers, or one third section of a 1 pound box

1/3 cup butter (2/3 of a standard cube), melted

2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crush the crackers with rolling pin on board, in blender, or in food processor.  Stir in the butter, sugar, and salt.  



About 1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 C sugar

2 large egg yolks, beaten together with
1/4 C of heavy whipping cream,  and set aside in 2-4 cup capacity heatproof bowl

2-3 tablespooons cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 C cold water, in another heatproof bowl

Stir the lemon juice and sugar together in small saucepan over low heat until the mixture is near boiling.

Pour very slowly into the egg yolks, beating constantly with a whisk, until completely mixed, then return to the saucepan over very low heat.  Pour a small amount of the hot lemon/juice mix into the cornstarch, again, whisking as you go, and then return the mixture to the saucepan and whisk vigorously over low heat until the sauce thickens slightly.  It will remain quite thin, and be very tart.

Pour over slices of the chilled, finished cake and serve.